Base for cemetery monuments with urn receiving cavities

ABSTRACT

A cemetery monument base is provided which is relatively inexpensive to produce, yet long lasting and impervious to the elements. The base includes an attractive, durable housing of stainless steel, or other non-corrosive materials, which jackets a heavy concrete core having several urn receiving cavities therein, and with a plurality of mounting brackets extending therefrom.

United States Patent [191 Thompson [5 1 BASE FOR CENIETERY MONUMENTS WITH URN RECEIVING CAVITIES [76] Inventor: John R. Thompson, 415 West Marine Drive, Astoria, Oreg. 97103 221 Filed: Mar. 15, 1971 21 Appl.No.: 124,199

[52] US. Cl ..52/103, 52/27 [51] Int. Cl. ..E04h 13/00 [58] Field of Search ..52/102, 103, 104, 52/27 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,525,091 10/1950 Brownawell ..52/103 1,065,119 6/1913 Early ..52/102 2,095,290 10/1937 Roy ..52/103 X [451 Apr. 10, 1973 1,982,432 11/1934 Hull ..52/103 X 314,019 3/1885 Harroun ..52/103 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 36,979 4/1968 Finland ..52/103 Primary ExaminerPrice C Paw, Jr. Attorney-Clarence A. OBrien & Harvey'B. Jacobson [57] ABSTRACT A cemetery monument base is provided which is re1atively inexpensive to produce, yet long lasting and impervious to the elements. The base includes an attractive, durable housing of stainless steel, or other noncorrosive materials, which jackets a heavy concrete core having several urn receiving cavities therein, and with a plurality of mounting brackets extending therefrom.

5 Clains, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTEUAPR 1 01m 3.726.052

SHEET 1 [IF 2 John R. Thump son Mmw WWW

PATENTED APR 1 01973 SHEET 2 BF 2 John R. Thampsan BY WWW BASE FOR CEMETERY MONUMENTS WITH URN RECEIVING CAVITIES Generally, the present invention relates to cemetery monument support bases, and more particularly to monument bases with receptacles therein for holding cremation urns.

In the past, cemetery monument bases have been provided, many of which were made from granite, marble, and other stone materials, being shaped with square corner edges which were susceptible to cracking and chipping over a period of years. With modern day lawn cutting equipment, it is difficult to cut around such conventional monument bases, often damaging the bases in the process. Furthermore, conventional monument bases are often unanchored and above the ground for the most part, rendering them vulnerable to damage or destruction by possible vandalism.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a cemetery monument base which is relatively simple and inexpensive to produce, yet is long lasting, functional, and of a durable construction.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a cemetery monument base which is comprised of a heavy core material surrounded by a stainless steel jacket which is attractive in appearance and impervious to the elements.

It is a further object of the present invention to pro vide a method of producing cemetery monument bases by pouring a hardenable material, such as concrete, into a surrounding stainless steel jacket and inserting several anchoring brackets into the material prior to hardening.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a cemetery monument base having curved end portions which create a smooth outer surface not susceptible to cracking and chipping over a period of years.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a monument base of heavy core construction which contains several urn receptacles therein which may be easily sealed from the elements or possible damage by vandalism.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a cemetery monument base which may be mounted either partially above or entirely below the ground and which is easily fastened between the foundation and the monument.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective, phantom view of the monument base mounted underground and anchoring a ground level monument in place.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the surrounding jacket and bracket assemblies.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the underground base shown in FIG. 1 with an urn inserted in one of the receptacles.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view along plane 4-4 shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the monument base extending partially above the ground with the bottom fastened to an underground foundation.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the monument base shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the above-ground monument base shown in FIG. 5.

Referring more specifically to FIG. 1, the monument base is indicated by the numeral 10, and secures a flat ground level monument 12 in place by way of a plurality of bolts 13 extending through flanges 14 of monument base 10. A pair of vertically extending urn cavities or receptacles 16 extend the entire height of monument base 10 to accept cremation urn 17, and are sealed from the outside by way of monument 12.

The monument base 10 is comprised of a core 18 which is made from a heavy hardenable material, such as concrete, surrounded by an outer jacket 20, preferably of stainless steel or similar materials. The outer surrounding jacket 20 may be formed from several pieces as shown in FIG. 2. A pair of upright semicylindrical end portions 28 are fastened to a pair of relatively flat side portions 30 by way of vertically extending flanges 32 adapted to abut each other and con taining a plurality of apertures 34 which align with each other to accept bolts or similar fastening means. Several brackets 36 extend vertically along the inner surfaces of end portions 28 each including an upper horizontal flange l4 and a lower horizontal flange 38 extending outwardly from the curved end portions 28. If desired, the upper and lower edges of curved end portions 28 may include notches or slots 29, to accept the upper and lower horizontal flanges 14 and 38 respectively. This provides smooth upper and lower mounting surfaces and aids in the concrete pouring procedure hereinafter explained. The bottom of each flat side portion 30 includes an outwardly extending foundation flange 40 with holes 42 therein. Thus, monument base 10 may be anchored to a foundation of concrete, or similar material, by way of studs or bolts 24 which extend through flanges 38 and 40, as shown in FIG. 4.

The foundation may be in the form of a flat slab such as foundation 22 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, or it may include a pair of receptacle extensions 44 as contained in foundation 46, shown in FIG. 7. Each receptacle extension 44 is adapted to align with urn receptacles 16 such that each urn is actually deposited in the extension 44 after passing through receptacle 16. This arrangement further insures that the cremation urn will not be harmed through vandalism or accidental damage to the monument.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, it will be appreciated that the monument base may be partially elevated above the ground level to anchor the monument 48 in an elevated position wherein the edges 49 of monument 48 are substantially removed from the areas encountered by grass cutting equipment. It should also be noted that the jacket 50 of the monument base may be formed from a single piece, as more clearly shown in FIG. 6, rather than the four-piece construction illustrated in FIG. 2. The one-piece construction of jacket 50 provides a somewhat neater outward appearance and may be less expensive to produce, by such methods as welding, depending upon the number of units desired. Also, it is not essential that the foundation bracket 40, shown in FIG. 2, b

e included in the one-piece co where it is felt that low r 

1. In combination with a cemetery monument, a base underlying and supporting said monument, said base comprising a heavy core of hardenable material, metal jacket means for molding and at least partially surrounding and embracing said heavy core, and bracket means fastening said core and jacket means to said monument, a cremation urn receiving cavity formed in said core, said cavity extending downwardly from an opening in said core abutting said monument such that said monument defines a top closure for said cavity, said cavity being surrounded on its sides by both said metal jacket means and a heavy thickness of said core to prevent unauthorized entry into said cavity due to vandalism, or the like.
 2. The structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein said metal jacket means includes a metal liner around said urn cavity.
 3. The combination set forth in claim 1 wherein said cavity is of generally cylindrical configuration together with a cremation urn of similar configuration disposed in said cavity.
 4. The combination set forth in claim 1 together with a foundation underlying said base, said bracket means securing said base to said foundation.
 5. The combination set forth in claim 4 wherein said bracket means includes a plurality of vertically elongated bracket members embedded in said core adjacent said metal jacket means each with a pair of offset flange portions extending horizontally outward at the opposite ends of said bracket member. 